If you’re a bit rusty on the terms of the program, allow me to remind you: Students kindergarten through sixth grade who meet monthly reading goals are awarded a voucher for a one-topping personal pan pizza. Since its inception in 1984, 60 million students have participated in the program. And if you are indeed a BOOK IT! alumni, you can register at Pizza Hut’s alumni site and get your very own personal pan pizza Oct. 1st – 10th. "The number one thing we get asked by any adult who went through the program is can we please develop an adult version of the BOOK IT Program," Shelley Morehead, BOOK IT! Program Manager, said in a statement. "With the creation of the BOOK IT! Alumni page, we now have a destination to celebrate the positive memories that so many kids, now adults, have with the program."

If Pizza Hut extended the program to adults, would you participate? Share your thoughts on reading-incentive programs in the comments section below. And don't forget to create a Scholarships.com profile to find personalized financial aid opportunities to fund your college education. Our scholarship search allows you to search more than 2.7 million college scholarships and grants worth more than $1.9 billion.

Reality check: For some students, heading off to college for four years isn't ideal. And while college isn't for everyone, an education should be. In order to stay competitive in the workforce, it's important to realize that there are opportunities in the form of both trade and vocational schools for students who don't see themselves attending classes on traditional college campuses...or are there?

According to a report by Boston-based labor analytics firm Burning Glass Technologies, more employers are demanding college degrees for positions that historically didn't require one. The shift is most significant for occupations traditionally dominated by workers without college degrees: For example, fewer than 20 percent of currently employed executive secretaries and executive assistants have bachelor's degree but now 65 percent of postings for such roles require the degree. Why? One reason may be that employers are requiring a bachelor's degree to narrow the applicant pool to a more manageable size. "For an individual employer, that may be an understandable step," said Matt Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass Technologies, in a statement. "When everybody does it, however, this becomes a trend that could shut millions of Americans out of middle-skill, middle-class jobs." (For more on this study, click here.)

What are your thoughts on upcredentialing in the workforce? What problems do you see arising? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don’t forget to fund your college education the right way – free! Create a Scholarships.com profile today and get matched with funding opportunities that are unique to you.

This SOTW is Accepting Entries Through November 30th

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." This famous quote from The Wizard of Oz reminds us that people tend to hide their true selves behind some version of smoke and mirrors. In honor of the film’s 75th anniversary, we’re asking you: Do you hide behind a curtain, or a mask of sorts? Who are you internally versus the person you present to everyone else?

Write a poem about the true you, and what’s preventing you from pulling back the curtain so everyone can see too, for your chance to win $1,000 for your college education. Need a boost to get started? Check out our tip and action guides for ideas.

How to apply:

Make sure you're eligible by checking out our FAQ and the contest rules. Basic requirements - (1) 25 years of age (or younger), (2) a current or former high school student who will attend/is attending college within the U.S. or its territories, and (3) a submitted original poem with the poetry slam tag Slam Behind the Curtain.

Become a Power Poet by registering to be a part of our community. Look at previous winners, Action Guides, Tip Guides and other poems for inspiration.

Add an original poem to Power Poetry by November 30th.

Check out our FAQ if you have any questions about the contest. If you’re interested in learning more about this or other scholarship opportunities, conduct a free scholarship search today!

Forget superfoods like acai berries and quinoa: Sending your kids to college might be the surest route to living a longer life!

According to new research by Esther Friedman of the RAND Corporation and Robert Mare of UCLA, parents of college graduates live two years longer than parents whose kids don't graduate high school. But how? College-educated children are able to influence their parents' behavior in positive ways: “Highly-educated offspring may directly improve their parents' health by convincing them to change their health behaviors.” (In other words, the child becomes the parent.) Friedman and Mare examined more than 25,000 individuals tracked in the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 51 and over, from 1992 to 2006. They found that the effect on children's education on parents' life expectancy was not just coincidence – it was robust even after controlling for the parents' own socioeconomic resources. The takeaway from this research is that we may be able to better care for our future senior population by providing educational resources to children now. "Improving the education of younger generations could potentially improve the health of two generations of the family (the younger generation as well as their parents)," Friedman said. "This is something that policy makers could consider when evaluating the potential impact of a program.” (For more of this study, click here.)

What are your thoughts on the study? Do you think it's likely that children with a college education offer more financial means to take care of their parents as they age? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don't forget to try and fund your college education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to 250 high school seniors each year. Fifty of these are four-year $20,000 scholarships ($5,000 per year for four years), while 200 are designated as four-year $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 per year for four years). The scholarships must be used at an accredited U.S. college or university.

a CURRENT high school or home-school senior anticipating graduation from a school or program in the United States during the academic year in which application is made a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, U.S. Permanent Resident, Temporary Resident (legalization program), Refugee, Asylee, Cuban-Haitian Entrant or Humanitarian Parolee

planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution

Here at Scholarships.com, we stress the importance of paying for your college education the best way we know how: with free money in the form of scholarships! And while scholarships might not fully cover your tuition and expenses, college applicants who aren't deemed financially needy in terms of their FAFSA should consider the importance of merit aid. It can make a huge difference in the schools they can realistically afford and students and families seeking this extra financial aid boost should consider researching schools more likely to dispense merit-based awards.

But with so many colleges and universities across the country, which ones are the best financial bets? Help has arrived in the form of U.S. News & World Report, which has compiled a list of the schools that awarded the highest percentage of merit-based funding to non-needy students during the 2013-14 academic year. (The stats do not include financially needy students who were given merit aid or students who received athletic scholarships or other tuition breaks.) Take a look:

High school students, does this data have you looking at these schools in a new light? Current college students attending one of the schools listed above, did merit aid make the difference as to whether or not you enrolled? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And as always, don’t forget to create a free Scholarships.com profile to get a personalized list of scholarship opportunities!

College Prowler is Accepting Entries Through September 30th

Winning money for college is great but doing so without having to meet astronomical word counts and double-digit page requirements is even better. Lucky for you, the folks at College Prowler couldn't agree more and have launched the $2,000 No Essay Scholarship.

The scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on their Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. To apply, please visit College Prowler or complete a free scholarship search to find additional opportunities.

Grenade Launcher? Check. M-16s? Check. Armored Vehicles? Check. No, this isn’t an artillery checklist for a high-ranking general but rather the stockpile that could be located on a college campus near you.

According to reports, at least 117 colleges have acquired equipment from the Department of Defense through a federal program that transfers military surplus to law enforcement agencies across the country. Through the 1033 program, participating colleges don’t have to buy the equipment but are responsible for the cost of delivery and maintenance. They are prohibited from reselling or leasing the gear and are required to provide updates on the location of tactical gear, like armored vehicles and weaponry. To date, at least 60 institutions have acquired M-16s through the program: Arizona State University has the most with 70 in its arsenal, followed by Florida International University and the University of Maryland with 50 M-16s each. (The University of Central Florida received a grenade launcher in 2008.) “What was once the unthinkable has become the inevitable,” said UCF’s chief of police Richard Beary. “These bad guys have plans and are heavily armed, and law enforcement needs to be able to keep up with them. In order to do that, police officers need to be highly trained, well equipped, and ready to respond to any scenario.” (For more on this story, click here.)

Participants in the program argue that it provides departments – particularly those with limited budgets like campus police forces – with necessary gear at very little cost. Meanwhile, detractors contend that the procurement of tactical gear doesn’t help with the types of crimes that occur more frequently on college campus, like alcohol-related incidents and sexual assault. What are your thoughts on having military-grade artillery on campus? Let us know in the comments section.

U.S. News and World Report Releases Annual List

High school seniors, do you know where you want to spend the next four years? Sure, it may be just the start of the academic year and you're nowhere near crunch time when it comes to making that decision, but get a head start by checking out some of the top schools in the United States!

Every year, U.S. News and World Report puts together a list of the best undergraduate institutions in the country, focusing on areas that matter most to students such as graduation rates, selectivity and freshman retention, among other items. Check out the top 10 schools below and for more on their methodology, click here:

Are college rankings a bigger deal to students or colleges? Did you or do you plan to use college rankings as you make your college choices or do you think other factors are more important to consider? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And don’t forget to try and fund your college education with as much free money as possible – a great place to start is by creating a free profile on Scholarships.com.

New Winner Selected Every Month!

Looking for a way to pay for your college education that includes free money? Well, you’re in luck! Here at Scholarships.com, we provide users with the most relevant scholarships and educational information out there.

By registering at Scholarships.com, you’ll have access to more than 2.7 million local, state and national college scholarships and grants worth $1.9 billion...and did we mention that you’ll be eligible to win $500 automatically just for registering? That’s right: Filling out a complete profile will enter you into our monthly drawing for $500. No lengthy essay or massive application packet required – it doesn't get any easier than that. Complete your profile, get entered to win $500 and start exploring additional scholarship options today!

For more information and official rules, please click here. For more information on finding money for college and how to properly fund your college education, check out Scholarships.com Financial Aid section and conduct a free scholarship search today!